Shloka 14
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
धनं लभेत दानेन मौनेनाज्ञां विशाम्पते । उपभोगांश्व तपसा ब्रद्मचर्येण जीवितम्
dhanaṁ labheta dānena maunena ājñāṁ viśāmpate | upabhogāṁś ca tapasā brahmacaryeṇa jīvitam, prajānātha |
হে প্রজানাথ! দানে ধন লাভ হয়; মৌনব্রতে আদেশ মান্য করানোর ক্ষমতা জন্মে; তপস্যায় ভোগসুখ প্রাপ্ত হয়; আর ব্রহ্মচর্যে জীবন—দীর্ঘায়ু ও বল—লাভ হয়।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Different dharmic disciplines yield distinct results: charity brings wealth (through social merit and reciprocal support), silence cultivates authority and obedience (through restraint and gravitas), austerity leads to legitimate enjoyments (as earned fruits of discipline), and brahmacarya preserves vitality and longevity.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the ruler on practical dharma. Here he lists a set of cause-and-effect teachings—linking specific vows and disciplines to their ethical and worldly outcomes—aimed at guiding royal conduct and personal self-governance.